By Julie Samaras
THE term “tai chi” evokes serene images of groups of people in China – or even the local park – slowly flowing through a sequence of graceful movements in unison.
Originating in China, legend has it that tai chi was formulated by a Taoist monk called Zhang Sanfeng, who taught it in the Wu Tang Shan monasteries in the 12th century.
Research (Wikipedia) suggests the oldest documented tradition of tai chi is that of the Chen family in the 1820s. Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at least one of five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun.
Tai chi is generally classified as a form of traditional Chinese martial arts of the “soft” or “internal” branch, as distinguished from the “hard” styles.
Since the widespread promotion of tai chi by Chinese masters in the early 20th century, it has developed a worldwide following among people for its health benefits.
The practice has been found to reduce the incidence of falls, improve mobility skills and mood, increase functional ability in daily activities and help manage chronic disease. 
YMCA of Canberra has developed special tai chi classes to help prevent falls in older people, by improving their balance and fitness.
With funding from the ACT Health “Stay on Your Feet” program, YMCA has been training instructors and will be offering classes throughout Canberra over coming months.
According to Professor Fred Ehrlick, from the University of NSW, tai chi can build lower body strength, help regulate blood pressure, manage stress, and improve range of movement, body weight transfer skills and balancing skills.
The YMCA reports that since 1995, the Falls Unit of ACT Health has evaluated a number of the association’s physical activities for older people projects, finding that the intervention methods used in the tailor-made programs lower the risk of falls.
Visit http://www.canberra.ymca.org.au for more information.